Historical Sikh Events: Ramgarhia Misl

RAMGARHIA MISL took its name from Ram Rauni, an enclosure of unbaked
bricks raised in Amritsar during the time of Jassa Singh for the protection
of Sikhs in the troubled days of thc eighteenth century. The fortresswas
later reinforced by Sikhs and made into a fort called Ramgarh. Jassa Singh
became famous in Sikh history as Jassa Singh Ramgarhla. He gained reputation
as a soldier of daring and skill. He along with his brothers Jai Singh,
Kushal Singh and Mali Singh took up service under Adina Beg,faujdar of
the Jalandhar Doab, which he quit when the Sikhs taunted him with betrayal
of the Panth. To begin with, Jassa Singh joined hands with Jai Singh of
the Kanhaiya misl and within a short time they seized large slices of
territory in four out of the five Doabs. Among their acquisitions was
the fertile tract called Riarki to the north of Amritsar embracing the
district of Gurdaspur. Within a decade Jassa Singh became one of the leading
figures of the Dal Khalsa. In 1770, he led plundering expeditions into
the hills. The local rajas sought safety in submission and Jassa Singh
collected a tribute of 2,00,000 rupees from the Kangra hill states.Jassa
Singh Ramgarhia, along with other Sikh sardars, fought many pitched battles
against Ahmad Shah Durrani, the Afghan invader.

As the Afghan threat receded, Sikh sardars began fighting among themselves.
The Ramgarhia Kanhaiya cleavage over their adjoining territories in the
district of Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur widened. In the battle of Dinanagar
in 177S, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia joined the Bhangi sardars against the forces
of the Kanhaiyas and the Sukkarchakkias. Soon a rift appeared between
Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and Jassa Singh Ahluvalia as the latter wrested
the town of Zahura, which fell within Ramgarhia territory, and conferred
it upon Baghel Singh Karorsinghia. Jai Singh Kanhaiya sought the help
of Jassa Singh Ahluvalia and the Ramgarhia Sardar had to flee the Punjab.
Driven out of the Punjab, Jassa Singh became a soldier of fortune. He
took possession of Hissar and raised a large body of irregular horse,
his depredations extending to the gates of Delhi and its suburbs, and
into the Gangetic Doab. Once he penetratezd into Delhi itself, and carried
off four guns from the Mughal arsenal. The Nawab of Meerut agreed to pay
him 10,000 rupees an year on his agreeing to leave his district unmolested.
Soon a body of 30,000 horse and foot under him and Karam Singh Shahid
crossed into Saharanpur district, ravaging it at will. On the death of
Jassa Singh Ahluvalia in 1783, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia returned to the Punjab
and recovered his lost possessions. He allied himself with the Sukkarchakkias,
and their combined forces broke the power of the Kanhaiyas.

At the height of its power, Ramgarhia misl's territories in the Bari
Doab included Batala, Kalanaur, Dinanagar, Sri Hargobindpur, Shahpur Kandi,
Gurdaspur, Qadian, Ghuman, Matteval, and in the Jalandhar Doab, Urmur
Tanda, Sanh, Miani, Garhdivala and Zahura. In the hills Kangra, Nurpur,
Manndi and Chamba paid tribute to Jassa Singh.
Jassa Singh died in April 1803 at the ripe age of 80, leaving two sons,
Jodh Singh and Vir Singh, the former of whom succeeded him. Jodh Singh
was a deeply religious person. He built the Rimgarhia Bunga on the premises
of theHarimandar at Amritsar and supplied blocks of perforated marble
that served as parapets on both sides of the causeway leading to the sanctuary.
Jodh Singh's possessions were encroached upon by his more active cousin,
Divan Singh, son of Tara Singh. In 1808, Ranjit Singh took possession
of the territories of the Ramgarhia misl. The same year he captured the
fortress of Rammgarh, destroying all the Ramgarhia citadels. Adequate
pensions were provided for Divan Singh and Jodh Singh, the leaders of
the once powerful Ramgarhla misl which had like many others collapsed
under pressure of the new rising power in the Punjab.

Article taken from these books.
Encyclopedia of Sikhism edited by Harbans Singh ji.

JavaScript is currently disabled.Please enable it for a better experience of Jumi.

Donate to AllAboutSikhs.com

Your donations will keep Allaboutsikhs.com in Chardikala

Subscription Options

JavaScript is currently disabled.Please enable it for a better experience of Jumi.

WorldGurudwaras.com

Worldgurudwaras.com will strive to be most comprehensive directory of Historical Gurudwaras and Non Historical Gurudwaras around the world.
The etymology of the term 'gurdwara' is from the words 'Gur (ਗੁਰ)' (a reference to the Sikh Gurus) and 'Dwara (ਦੁਆਰਾ)' (gateway in Gurmukhi), together meaning 'the gateway through which the Guru could be reached'. Thereafter, all Sikh places of worship came to be known as gurdwaras.

TheSikhEncyclopedia.com

Encyclopedias encapsulate accurate information in a given area of knowledge and have indispensable in an age which the volume and rapidity of social change are making inaccessible much that outside one's immediate domain of concentration.At the time when Sikhism is attracting world wide notice, an online reference work embracing all essential facets of this vibrant faithis a singular contribution to the world of knowledge. TheSikhEncyclopedia.com